“The Great Ruby Watch,” about 1670, is from German watchmaker Nicolaus Rugendas the Younger. It’s on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Wadsworth Atheneum, in Hartford, as as example of gifts given to museums by J. Pierpont Morgan. less

“The Great Ruby Watch,” about 1670, is from German watchmaker Nicolaus Rugendas the Younger. It’s on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Wadsworth Atheneum, in Hartford, as as example of gifts ... more

Photo: The Metropolitan Museum Of Art / Contributed Photo

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Rembrandt’s etching “Self-Portrait Leaning on a Stone Sill” is from 1639. It is on loan from the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, to the Wadsworth Atheneum, in Hartford, as as example of gifts given to museums by J. Pierpont Morgan. less

Rembrandt’s etching “Self-Portrait Leaning on a Stone Sill” is from 1639. It is on loan from the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, to the Wadsworth Atheneum, in Hartford, as as example of gifts given ... more

Photo: The Morgan Library & Museum / Contributed Photo

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“Pilgrim Flask,” an enamel-on-glass Italian piece, is from the 16th century. It is in the permanent collection of the Wadsworth Atheneum, a gift from J. Peirpont Morgan.

“Pilgrim Flask,” an enamel-on-glass Italian piece, is from the 16th century. It is in the permanent collection of the Wadsworth Atheneum, a gift from J. Peirpont Morgan.

The exhibition “unites more than 100 of these rare objects to illuminate Morgan's pursuit of global culture, commemorating his collecting achievements and probing an exploration of his motivations, buying decisions, and impact on the evolution of art collecting and museums in America.”

According to the Atheneum — the oldest continuously operating public art museum in the United States — the Morgan family has been instrumental in the museum’s growth and development over the decades.

“The founder of a banking dynasty still in operation today, J. Pierpont Morgan was one of the great financial figures of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Well known for his business success, he was also an important philanthropist and became an avid art collector following the death of his father, Junius Spencer Morgan (1813-1890). ... His family was the third generation to support the Wadsworth Atheneum — his grandfather Joseph was one of the museum’s founders.

“In 1889 Pierpont and his father contributed a combined $150,000 to the museum, and following Junius' death in 1890 Pierpont commissioned and funded the $1,400,000 Morgan Memorial in his father’s honor, more than doubling the museum’s size. Pierpont’s ultimate gift to the Wadsworth Atheneum came in 1917, when, in accordance with his father's will, Jack Morgan dispersed more than 1,350 objects from Pierpont’s collection to the Wadsworth Atheneum ‘for the instruction and pleasure’ of the public. The transformative gift formed the core of the museum's European decorative arts collection.”